By THOMAS JOHNSON
Twitter: @Miamibballguy
Perception in the sports world is a funny thing.
From a statistical standpoint, the month of February could be seen in a favorable light. After all, the Heat won nine of its 12 games, which by most standards would certainly qualify as a successful month.
Fan opinion, however, tends to be far more qualitative than quantitative.
It would be fair to say that a large percentage of the fan base would have traded in a few of those wins to see Miami beat Boston or Chicago just once.
Beating the Pacers, Pistons and Bobcats just isn’t as satisfying. No surprise there. Especially when you consider that the team’s performance against top teams is an almost daily talking point for sports programs like PTI.
Then there’s always the matter of losing to the Knicks, which when you consider how many New York transplants populate this city, is never easy to swallow.
So what would be a success to most teams, almost feels like a disappointment to Heat fans with short memories. The Heat were afterall a paltry 29-31 at this point last year.
For the past four months, every time this column is close to being finished, there’s usually one game left on the last or next to last day of the month. Without fail, that last game always seems to feature at least one or two plays that completely change the order of things.
This month, that game was against the Knicks and as fate would have it, produced two plays that cracked this month's top plays.
Remember, there are quite a few links in this feature, so make sure to click on the title of each play to see it. If you missed last month’s column, you can also refresh your memory by checking out the video countdown.
10. Wade to Lebron alley oop vs Knicks
From purely an entertainment standpoint, there's a part of every Heat fan that is hoping for a first round matchup with the Knicks. Would it ever get close to replicating the late-‘90s animosity-filled boxing matches? Certainly not. But it sure would produce a fair amount of chip-dropping, couch staining plays. Already this year the three Miami-New York clashes have produced a half dozen plays worthy of making this column.
9. LeBron reverse dunk vs Bulls.
He sure makes it look casual.
8. Bosh follow up dunk vs Clippers
Well not all of the plays can be from Wade and James, can they? It’s hard not to get Beasley flashbacks whenever Bosh follows missed shots by jumping over opposing players. Now if only Bosh were to grow out a serious ‘fro, it would be like “B-Easy” never left.
7. Wade dunk vs. Wizards
This play was one of many Wade highlights from last week’s game against the Wizards, which featured an 18-point Wade flurry to open the second quarter. With a head of steam in the open court, it does seem that fouling—and fouling hard—is the only way to stop Wade from finishing with thundering ferocity.
6. Wade block on Dwight Howard.
Wade has made a habit of blocking Dwight Howard this season.
5. Bron follow up dunk vs. Pacers
To be honest, it’s a play that Wade will gladly forget, considering the end result was a bloody nose. It does speak to the force that James dunks with when you consider that Wade, a man who isn’t exactly lacking in the reflex department, did not have enough time to put his hands up to protect his face.
This game against the Pacers resulted in yet another Atkins-ready stat line from James. 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to be exact. It was one of the first games that you could really hear the Heat crowd chant “MVP,” when James went to the free throw line to seal the game in the fourth quarter. Up until that point, you almost had the impression that many Heat fans felt guilty chanting those three consonants for anyone other than number three.
4. LeBron off backboard to himself.
This one would have been even higher had LeBron dunked the ball cleanly. Still, he gets points for executing it at all. Residents of Los Angeles will be quick to point out that Kobe did it first, although he rarely finished such a play with a dunk. In fact, LeBron would probably admit to drawing inspiration from Tracy McGrady, who regularly pulled out the play in All Star games. For that reason, it was only fitting that it happened directly before the All Star break.
3. Wade circus shot
Is it luck or skill? You could really make a convincing case for either argument. Let’s give Wade the benefit of the doubt and say it was more of the former than the latter, as he’s completed his fair share of circus shots over the years.
2. LeBron no-look pass to Dampier
It’s plays like this that have caused countless former players and analysts to make the Magic Johnson comparison. How many other small forwards in the league today could pull off a blind pass that hits a teammate right in the chest?
1. 90-foot alley-oop
It must hardly come as a surprise that this play grabbed the top spot when you consider that many analysts were discussing whether this was the greatest pass of all time. Perhaps that’s a little much, although if James had been able to dunk instead of laying it in, then it very well would have been. Sports science did a great job of breaking down this play. Even if this team can’t execute in a close game to save its life, with plays like this one you can’t argue that the Wade and James combination hasn't made this Heat squad easily the most exciting team in the league.
ALSO, to watch all ten plays at once, click here or scroll up and click on the top left of the page
You can follow Thomas on Twitter @Miamibballguy
Contact Thomas at: thomasheatbeat@gmail.com
As always, feel free to leave any thoughts or feelings below.
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